A lot of people seem to think that drug laws are meant to protect them, but in spite of the fact that this is the case their main reason has more to do with earning money than anything else. It is important to note that the prison industrial complex is a big industry and it would only ever be able to function if people were in prison for extended durations so that the prison can extract value from their incarceration and earn revenue that would put some major companies to shame.

At the end of the day, sending people to prison for minor drug offenses is not something that contributes any kind of positivity to the world around us. We should focus on lowering prison population so that these people can be educated and given better opportunities in life. Another thing to bear in mind is that many prisons are starting to become incredibly overcrowded, and the types of conditions that these people are living in are truly inhumane since they often don’t have clean toilets or even basic amenities such as a fan in the sweltering heat or any type of heating when it’s frigid and cold outside.

Reforming drug laws can reduce the number of people in prison and it can break the system that has made incarceration a way of life for so many. These laws disproportionately impact people of color, and suffice it to say that that is by design. With so many previously vilified drugs starting to become legal, the people that served time for using these drugs should be given a free pass especially since they weren’t trying to hurt anyone in any way.